First posted April 2016 This quaint tower on the edge of Sées is all that is left of a mighty entrance gate. Here a levy would be charged to every person and cart passing into the town. The gates may have kept out the vast forests of Écouves that once stretched all
Tag: normandy
Celebrating the first day of summer, in 1920’s Deauville – photo post!
'Groupe de 6 baigneuses dansant en ligne sur une plage a Deauville' say the notes with this charming old photograph, 'Group of 6 bathers dancing in a line on Deauville beach'. Five of these young ladies have sleek swimming costumes and their hair is controlled with neat little turbans. The sixth dancer
Tanks and flowers in the Biville dunes – midweek photo post!
Normandy in the 19th century – maps by Alexandre Vuillemin
Parisian Alexandre Vuillemin was born in 1812, the year Napoleon invaded Russia. During his life (Alexandre died in 1880) France would be invaded, gain and lose territories and embrace the industrial revolution. As France evolved, it's borders and in turn it's cartographers became increasingly important. Alexandre studied his art under the
A Conqueror’s change of heart
In the charming town of Falaise we saw this dramatic monument to that battle hungry medieval warrior, William the Conqueror. Rightly represented as a triumphant king, William's statue is surrounded by earlier Dukes of Normandy: Robert the Magnificent, Richard the Good (very good at propaganda, also known as the Irascible), Richard